I just turned 31 this week, which means one major thing: When someone asks my age, I can no longer say “I just turned 30,” which is what I’d been saying for the last 365 days. I admit, in some ways, turning 31 is hitting me more than turning 30 did. 30 is a rite of passage, a landmark. 31 is… well, you’re in your thirties now. It’s not new anymore. It’s just where you’re at.
And to be honest, I’m pretty happy with where that is, and I wanted to take the time to acknowledge that—and think a little bit about what I’m hoping this year holds for me. I love that my birthday happens to fall in June—it’s so convenient for revisiting New Year’s Resolutions, and sort of resetting for the second half of the year as summer starts. (I also use back to school as another chance to do that, so I can kind of gauge how well summer went, plan- and goal-wise!)
So anyway, my current ‘goals,’ which I’m excited to say are more about more than sweeping changes. (Sort of like turning 31, come to think of it.) Which is arguably harder to do, since starting new projects has that excitement and shiny-new-thing to it, while adding more to things that already exist can be a little bit less thrilling. (Case in point: this time last year, we were about to buy this condo. That was HUGE and new. This year, my ‘more’ goal is to just get our carpets ripped up and install the laminate flooring that we already bought. Not sexy, but it’ll make a difference!)
ANYWAY.
More Running
Of course, more running. Always more running. Seriously though, between the 50KM mountain running race I’m signed up for in August and the big scary goal I have planned for sometime early this fall (schedule/weather dependent), I need to be banking a lot more miles. I had a bit of a knee thing last month that jacked up my ability to do long runs, but I’m getting there as far as rehabbing it and adding mileage in a smart way. July will definitely be a high mileage month!
More Home Base
Well, this one is going to be tricky, because we’re already filling 2018 and into 2019 with trips and ideas and fun work stuff. But at the same time, we’re also trying to keep plugging along at making our home a home. (See: Pile of laminate flooring sitting in our living room waiting to be installed.) So, while last year’s goal was to find a home and get comfortable, this year is more about optimizing our living space and really working to make it fit us. That laminate will make it onto the floor in the near future, I swear! (More about our current home office setup here.)
More Sustainable Pace
A common thread in recent years (OK, the past 10) is when I start reciting my travel schedule to someone, when I stop for a pause, the usual response is “Wow, that’s in the rest of this year?” to which I respond, “No, that’s the rest of the month.” Anyone who’s followed along on here and on my Instagram knows we’ve kept up a pretty insane pace in the last few years with travel—and it’s been awesome. So it’s not like we’re hoping to stay at home all the time, by any stretch. But I would love to make the pace that we operate at a bit more sustainable in the long term… And I don’t know if that will happen in the next year as Shred Girls launches and I plan tons of events around that, but even within a crazed travel context, I want to create a slightly more reasonable pace for living during those times, versus constantly feeling like I’m on a hamster wheel trying to get things done faster and faster. I don’t entirely know what it’s going to look like, but I do feel like working smarter is going to play into that A LOT.
More Shred Girls
This is obviously the pretty big work focus for me this year: #MoreGirlsOnBikes. Whether it’s talking at the NICA conference, spreading the Shred Girls brand with the cool cap collaboration we did, or working on edits for Lindsay’s Joy Ride while finishing off the first drafts of books two and three, I am all in on this series! If you haven’t heard, Shred Girls book one will be out next year with Rodale Kids, an imprint of Random House (!!). The new illustrations are just about done and I can’t freaking wait to share the new cover and illustrations from Violet LeMay with you guys. In the meantime, the Shred-Girls.com website is constantly being updated with real life Shred Girl advice, tips and tricks, so keep an eye on it! (Want to keep in touch so you know when Shred Girls is available for pre-order? Sign up for the newsletter here.)
More MTB Skill Work
In the last few years, my mountain bike skills have definitely gotten a ton better—leaps and bounds. I’m more confident teaching beginner and intermediate clinics, but where I still could use some work is consistently being able to roll over/through/down obstacles on the trail. When the going gets scary, I still have a tendency to lose my $hit and freak myself out.
More Fun, Exciting Collaborations & Partnerships
I’ve been adding a few new collaborations and places I’ve been writing for in the last few months—Gear Junkie has really been rad with having me put together a bunch of women’s cycling content, I’ve been working with a fresh spirulina company—SP2 Life—to talk about all things nutrition for athletes and a healthy lifestyle, and we’ve had some really cool guests on the Consummate Athlete Podcast.
More Yoga (Doing and Teaching)
I’ve been lucky that Active Life Strength and Conditioning in Collingwood is so good about wanting athletes to have good mobility, not just strength, and that Sarah, the rad owner there is open to hosting the classes that I’m excited about teaching. (Have you heard our episode with Sarah on The Consummate Athlete Podcast? It’s such good listening for any fitness professional or busy mom!) … But I’ve also realized that now that the 200 hour teacher training is done, my time on the mat has decreased over the last couple of months. I still do my morning yoga religiously, but I definitely need to get back to more of my own regular practice throughout the week and start getting to more classes again! (I think I needed a bit of a break after the intense focus I had on it for so many weeks, though.)
So yeah—31 is going to be pretty great!
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